"I'm so sorry, Daddy." I really don't know what more to say.
"It isn’t your fault, ladybug. For the longest time, I chastised myself. I thought perhaps the scars on my body and the injury on my leg pushed Abigail into Nesmith’s arms. After all, I’m not that young anymore.”
"That’s rubbish," I interject. Obviously, I can’t tell my father how proud I am of the significance of the scars marking my boyfriends’ bodies. They’re war heroes plain and simple. Just like my father is. Instead, I say, "Mum always gushed about how she was lucky enough to marry a pretty hot hero."
"Thank you for saying that," he chokes back the tears welling in his eyes. For a few long seconds, Daddy and I fight back the tears. "Well, I kept thinking I was just a fool,” he continues. “Maybe I should’ve listened to you and your brothers. I blamed my poor decisions on the fact that I was so incredibly lonely, and I missed your mum terribly." I ready myself to console him, but he keeps talking. "I would've continued barraging myself like that for a very long time, but then more clues surfaced."
"What like?"
“The private investigators cost an absolute fortune, but they’re well worth it. The visit to Salisbury revealed a lot.”
“Like what?”
“Milo was up there for a visit. In fact, he stayed for a week at the house Abigail used to live in.”
“What?” I gulp. “Milo? Maude’s husband?” I ask, as if I didn't already know the answer.
"Yes. Milo’s brother, David, was also up there a few times, but that was later in the investigation.”
“No way.”
My father nods. “The second the investigators sent me the photos, I immediately recognized them. Both men have unforgettable faces." Yeah, that wide mouth and those long teeth are hard to miss.
"Why were they there?” I ask.
"That was the million-dollar question. For the first few days, Milo seemed to let himself in and out of the house. On the third day, everything changed. The investigators sent me a photo of another man visiting the house. I nearly died."
"Who was it?"
"None other than Mr. Ralph Delaware."
I shake my head. "Are you kidding me?"
"I'm dead serious. It didn't take long for us to find out that Ralph owns that house."
"This isn't a coincidence?"
"Hardly. The clock was ticking. We had to act very quickly because I wanted to understand how Ralph, Milo, David, Maude, Abigail, and the pastor fitted into this puzzle. We needed to pull out the big guns."
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes, a woman is much better equipped at getting the job done than a man."
"Isn't that always the case," I roll my eyes dramatically.
A deep laugh pulls itself up from Daddy’s stomach and fills the office. "My God, I love you."
"I love you too."
I'm still not sure what he knows about Brandon and Holden, but at least he hasn’t disowned me yet.
"To continue my story, the lead investigator, a hard-hitting Scot and former Army Major‑General by the name Ailbeart Morrison, sent in a female elite-soldier-turned-investigator posing as a lost Swedish tourist who just happened to have her car break down right in front of Ralph's house. Lucky for us, both Ralph and Milo were too keen to come to the damsel’s rescue. Once the two crooked Samaritans helped jumpstart Eileen's car, Ralph bestowed her with some good old-fashioned British hospitality by inviting her in for a cup of tea. That was the opening we needed for her to plant as many bugs as she could on her way to and from the bathroom. While they were inside, Kyla, another investigator, planted a tracker on Ralph’s car. We were set."
"My God, this sounds like a Jason Bourne film," I exclaim.
"It's only the beginning. Now we just had to wait. Luckily it didn't take long."
"What did you find out?" I stop my pacing and sit on the leather sofa in my boyfriends’ office.
"The list of shockers is jaw-dropping. After Eileen left, Ralph and Milo seemed more obsessed with figuring out what they were going to eat for lunch than anything else. Once their bellies were full, they started talking. Ralph, David and Milo masterminded everything.”
“What’s everything?”
“Ralph has been tracking my whereabouts for a long time. He claimed to have spent the last five years in South Africa when in reality he was posted in Salisbury, shacked up with his long-time girlfriend, Abigail."
"What?" My eyes bulge out of my skull.
"Oh, trust me, it gets better. The envious bastard knows me well. He made sure that his girlfriend showed up at all of the different charity events I was invited to—it was easy enough to figure out since my appearances are public information. Abigail said the right things. She acted the right way. Ralph knew that I wouldn't give a twenty-year-old the time of day, but Abigail was at an age that I could consider as a potential partner. She’s very attractive and she seemed to genuinely care about others. He came up with the idea of the fake pregnancy, knowing full well that I’d do the right thing and marry her—even if I didn't love her—to save face. He also plotted the ruse of Abigail suddenly losing her baby a few months after the ink was dried on the marriage license—”
"Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I put my hand up, stopping my father in mid-sentence. "How long did Ralph and Abigail know each other for?"
"That same night Ralph and Milo decided to polish off a couple of bottles of Scotch. We lucked out. Ralph started bitching about the fact that after seven years of relationship—which didn't end when Abigail and I got married—she went suddenly cold."
"Dear God. Seven years?" I ask, dumbfounded. "That's a long time."
"It is, which begs the question, what kind of lowlife allows his girlfriend to marry another man?"
"You're right."
"One who’s desperate enough that he’d even prostitute his own daughter and mother if the price was right." My father's words are chilling. “During his drunken stupor, Ralph was pissed off that Abigail wasn't returning his calls or his text messages. That triggered him. He showed up at the ceremony for shock value. He thought Abigail was distant because she had fallen for me and the lifestyle I could give her. Ralph retaliated by assaulting you to get her attention and to show me that I wasn't God Almighty."
"Bastard."
"I have a series of choice words in mind, but let's keep it to bastard." I don't know how my father finds it in him to keep his composure given these devastating facts. “As the two kept talking, I found out that Ralph and Abigail had a big fight when she found out through Milo—who was Ralph's first phone call from jail—that he showed up at the ceremony and caused a scene.” That explains how she knew about the dress. “From what I could gather, Ralph was in the dark about Abigail’s relationship with the pastor.” My God, this is so screwed up. “There was a very long stretch of time where Ralph kept running his mouth. Just when I thought there was nothing more to gather from all the rubbish he was spewing, he dropped another bomb.”
“I'm afraid to ask what.”
“Ralph made a joke about how easy it would be for Milo and his brother to disappear once they cleaned out Abigail's charity accounts."
“The charity was a front?”
“Not as far as Abigail was concerned. In her delusional mind, she’s doing something noble. As if she were bloody Mother Teresa." My father rolls his eyes. "As much as Ralph didn't know about her affair with the pastor, Abigail didn't know that Ralph was using her as a pawn to get his hands on easy money. After all, no one would ever suspect the Prime Minister's wife of wrongdoing—”
"So they used her as a puppet?"
"Yes. It’s the same for her sister. Apparently not even Maude knows of her husband’s real identity."
"Wow. Those two are crooks."
"You’re forgetting someone." I frown. "Milo assured Ralph that David was already working on securing fake papers with a new identity for him.”
"Wait a minute. Isn’t David a lowly government worker and Abigail’s treasurer?"
"Yes. He had access to all her bank accounts. Hearing those two con artists plot like that brought chills down my spine. It took the investigating team a few tries before they were able to decipher Milo’s real name from the recordings because Ralph's pronunciation was atrocious and he massacred the man's name—”
“Who is he?”
“Let me say this first, I had ordered a check on David, Milo and Maude before I got married. Nothing unusual came up. That's because at the time we didn't know who the Wallis brothers were. Even after another investigation, Milo’s hands are relatively clean. David on the other hand is as dirty as sin.”
"But David works at the General Register Office. He pushes paper all day. How much of a criminal can he be?" I protest. This is more of a mind-bender than the world's hardest Sudoku puzzle.
“The Wallis brothers aren’t British born as their papers suggest. They’re Lithuanians. Milo’s real name is Emilijus Karčemarskas. His brother David is Vaidas, also known in the underworld as ‘The Dry Cleaner’.”
"What does that even mean?"
"Vaidas has perfected the art of helping his criminal clients disappear by providing them with false identification."
"I just don't see it." I shake my head vehemently. "David—or Vaidas—is such an unassuming person."
"He has the perfect profile for the job and the perfect position," my father says.
“I don't follow."
"It'll all make sense in a minute. We had to bring in Eileen and Kyra again. This time it was a little more challenging for Eileen because she had to bug David's work computer and find a way to bug his mobile. Of course, we had to tail his car. It took them a few days to figure it out, but they did succeed. We were tracking the bastard twenty-four seven. We had teams around the clock. It turns out that in his spare time, David likes to hack systems. Back in the good old days when there were no computers, David—who started working at General Register Office when he was only eighteen—could easily steal a dead man's identity and use it for one of his dirty clients who needed to disappear in plain view."
"But wouldn't the family start asking questions?”
"David only targeted homeless addicts. Not all of them hold on to their identity, but for those who did, it was a bonanza for David since the numbers keep increasing year after year. Many of them lost contact with their families. It made them perfect targets. Once social services reported them dead, David went to work. When the computers took over the workplace, David went back to school. He can hack any system, falsify information and make it his own. He's had twenty-five years to understand the ins and outs of that department. That's how he’s been able to build a very lucrative side business."
"So why steal from Abigail's charity?"
"It was a big hit for the Wallis brothers and Ralph desperately needed the money. Criminals tend to be greedy and not always very smart,” Daddy explains.
"What a shame. People donated because they really believed they were helping."
"That's exactly what the three clowns were banking on. That and the fact that the person behind the charity was the Prime Minister's wife.”
“Did they get away with a lot of money?" I ask.
"They did, but it could’ve been worse. Between Abigail’s sudden attraction for her dirty pastor and Maude’s accident, that considerably slowed down her fundraising efforts."
"Is that why you went to her last fundraiser event?"
He nods. “I needed to see certain things with my own two eyes before all this exploded. It was the hardest thing for me to keep my mouth shut."
"Wow. I'm absolutely dumbfounded. What happens next? Surely those three criminals won't get away with their crimes."
“It will be a lot of work to recuperate the money they’ve already stolen, but thank God the investigation amassed loads of incriminating evidence. Ailbeart Morrison delivered everything his team gathered to the police. The three clowns were arrested at five o'clock this morning in an epic raid of Ralph’s house—a few hours before the news broke about Abigail.”
“I can’t believe these criminals were able to get that close to us."
"They used Abigail as their decoy. They masterfully manipulated the Kent sisters. And, David's position insured the Wallis brothers flew under the radar.”
"I'm so grateful all this is behind us," I exhale, relieved.
"So am I.” Daddy pauses. “Now that you understand why I’ve been so secretive, let’s talk about Brandon and Holden.”
Fuck.
CHAPTER 75
Brandon
To my surprise, Barrett doesn't seem to have any issues with the fact that Amelia is involved with the two of us. Not that it would've made a difference if he had, but since he seems to have a connection with Amelia's best friend, it makes things much easier. I guess his Navy background is also a great bonding commonality between the three of us. All four of us are sitting on the deck enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun. Although we've done a pretty good job at pretending that we aren’t all dying to know what Amelia and her father are discussing, we were still able to get to know each other a lot better.
“She’s been up there for an hour,” I complain, looking at the time on my iPhone.
“I’m sure this isn’t an easy conversation for her father,” Holden reminds me.
“Yeah,” I shrug, willing myself to be patient.
“I think it has more to do with some of the other things that will explode in the news.” Charlie's words don't bring me much comfort.
“This Sunday is turning—” Amelia’s arrival on the deck cuts me short.
"Hey you," I say.
"Hey," she responds. Her eyes shift to the man sitting next to her best friend. "Barrett. How are you?" She offers him a shy smile.
"I'm good, Amelia. I wish we were reconnecting under better circumstances, but it's good to see you again," he says, getting up to kiss her on both cheeks.
"It's good to see you too."
“You took a shower?” I notice her wet hair.
“You too,” she observes, moving her eyes to Holden.
"Yeah. While Charlie went downstairs to get Barrett, I jumped into the shower. Once I was done, Brandon followed suit," he explains.
“After Daddy’s story, I needed it. I felt like my skin was covered with this slimy grime," she explains.
"That much?" I ask.
She nods. "There are so many disturbing details,” she says.
Amelia takes a few steps forward, pulls out the chair between Holden and I and sits down. She has this bewildered look on her face.
“Why don’t I grab you a blueberry muffin, some fruit, and I'll also prepare you a latte,” I say, standing up.
“Thanks, that sounds good.” She looks so distraught.
“Anyone need a refill?” Three somber faces shake their heads. “All right.”
“So, how did it go?” I hear Holden ask behind me. “How’s your dad holding up?”
“He knew this was coming. Once a General, always a General.”
“Wow,” I shout from the kitchen.
"So, Charlie was right," Holden stresses.
"She was. Given the magnitude of events that have transpired in my father's life in the last six weeks, I understand why this media storm was so well-planned."
"There's more than just Abigail?" Holden asks carefully.
"Charlie said it had to do with you," I comment, returning to the deck carrying a tray with her breakfast and placing it in front of her. "Did your father tell you what it was about?" I ask, sitting back down.
"You could say that."
Amelia's gaze bounces from mine, to Holden’s, to Charlie’s, to Barrett's and back to mine again. Clearly, there's something she isn't saying.
I frown. "What is it, sweetie?"
She still remains silent.
All four of us are looking at her expectantly. And then she says two words that unravel my world.
"He knows," she blurts out.
&nbs
p; "What?" all four of us shout in unison.
Charlie crosses her arms and shakes her head. For a few seconds the words don't seem to come out. "I can't believe this," she finally says.
"He knows," Amelia repeats. "In fact, he’s known about the three of us for many weeks now."
"Jesus!" Charlie lets out.
"Blimey!" Barrett exclaims.
"Fuck!" Holden groans.
"Shit!" I grunt.
Holden and I stare at each other. This isn't good. We wanted to do this the right way, by being the ones to tell him.
“Should Brandon and I pack our bags and get out of town or is it too late?" Holden asks once he gets over the shock.
“Are the police on their way?" I ask.
"How in the world did he find out? I thought you guys were careful." Charlie has the presence of mind to ask the tough question.
"I also thought we were," I respond.
"It doesn't matter how careful we were,” Amelia says, “There were too many other things at play. Things that were beyond our control."
"Okay, that's a lot to digest," Holden comments. "I think you have to break it down for us."
"Why don't you start from the beginning," I suggest, caressing her arm.
She takes a deep breath in and starts talking.
Over the next hour Amelia shares all the twisted parts of this unimaginable saga. She stops long enough to take a few bites of her muffin and sip her coffee while the rest of us bombard her with questions. The fact that Charlie, Barrett and Holden are as flabbergasted as I am by this story brings me comfort.
"I can't believe this colossal mess is rolling out a week before your father steps out of office."
“Barrett is right. As if he didn't have enough to worry about. Now his personal life has become a vulgar reality show," Holden says.
"Personally, I can't wrap my head around the fact that Abigail prostituted herself in that way just to help out Ralph when the crook planned on backstabbing her from day one. What's more insulting is how you shared that idiot Delaware thought he had what it took to be in your father's position." Charlie snorts. "The lowlife is nothing more than a filthy criminal. How dare he think he could lead our great nation," she spits out.
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